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The Landscape Awards of Excellence recognize the year’s best in creating exceptional gardens.
The Landscape Awards of Excellence recognize the year’s best in creating exceptional gardens. This prestigious annual competition honours the work of B.C.’s landscapers in various project categories ranging from $7,500 to more than $120,000. For more information on the Landscape Awards program, contact the BC Landscape & Nursery Association.
Allgreen Landscaping Ltd. 250-390-3397
This Gabriola Island bungalow, with beautiful interior but barren front and back yards, was greatly improved by the addition of a gabled front entrance, colourful planting beds and the creation of an authentic looking dry streambed at the front roadside where previously there had been only a plain rough ditch. In the back yard, a 120-foot-long stream was built from scratch, flowing from a high point near the house down over seven waterfalls, past large boulders and varied plantings, under two bridges and on down to a peaceful lily pond at the far bottom corner of the property.
Anderson Garden Services 604-731-0246 or email
Upon purchase of this residence, the owners immediately asked the builder not to complete the standard front garden as they had their own ideas of what it should look like. For them, the necessary elements included a small semi-private space with a patio to enjoy the summer sun and a small lawn for their dog. This was all to be surrounded by a lush garden that included colour year around. This garden is an example of what can be achieved in a small space. It has turned out to be exactly what the owners wanted. And relaxing on the patio in the summer sun with a gathering of friends makes it all the more enjoyable.
Anne Talbot-Kelly Garden Design & Fireworks Marketing Group 604-732-0336 or website
Playland, situated in Hastings Park since 1910, has embarked on a mission to bring substantial greenspace back to the park. To help achieve this vision, “The Honeybee Express” was designed to provide a garden experience for young train riders that passes through a variety of natural habitats representative of BC landscape. The finished project includes a combination of BC Native trees, shrubs and flowers to create a butterfly meadow, a wild blueberry patch, a rocky forested canyon, and a marsh. Project Installer: Valleyside Landscaping.
Anne Talbot-Kelly Garden Design & Ray Lachance Hand-Crafted Pond and Garden 604-732-0336 or website
This project was the final step in a major home renovation that saw a rebirth of the 1928 home, integrating two separate buildings with a contemporary, functional, and food-producing garden. Emphasis was placed on saving a heritage apple tree, re-using materials, and adding sustainable gardening practices.
Blasig Landscape Design & Construction Ltd. 604-462-9144 or website
Blasig utilises an IPM approach in their maintenance schedule to reduce pesticide use. They have established thresholds for acceptable levels of pests and damage to plants with the client. Weekly record keeping allows review of trends and cycles as the garden develops. With no sloped access for maintenance, removing debris and green waste is an ongoing challenge. All materials are moved up and down the 24 stairs and steep driveway. Active children test their lawn maintenance abilities. With a mix of evergreens, perennials and annuals the 15 seasonal containers on the upper deck, the patio near the pool and at the front entrance – are kept looking awesome throughout the year.
The garden was tired – brick steps and borders, and concrete patio were chipping and dull, and the enclosure around the swimming pool was unattractive and chopped the garden in two. The lower area was out of sight – devoid of interest or function. Building a small, charming studio on the lower level invited people along the slate and thyme pathway and down the new basalt covered steps. The curved steps from the pool to the house allow an easy transition, and both areas have ample, varied seating areas. The built in barbecue uses the same natural (Brohm) stone as the lower wall, and has a decorative wrought iron door. Replacing the tile and plaster in the pool changed the colour of the water to a soothing tropical green.
From design to completion, this garden renovation was full of intricate details, and took 11 months. All the services needed to be moved as the design included: relocation of the driveway; creation of a separate pathway from the street to the front door; removing the existing pool and pump house; building of another pool further from the house; building a cabana/washroom/change room/pumphouse; encompassing the door into the house, the hot tub, outdoor kitchen and sit up counter under one roof; gas heaters over the kitchen; lighting throughout the garden; a large tiled fountain, and more.
Heike Designs 604-902-1891 or website
With a mandate to create a “spa-like” setting emulative of those found at prestigious hotels, challenges of access and drainage were overcome to transform a swamp into a lush, vibrant oasis that compliments the contemporary interior and exterior of the house at its core. The garden showcases eye catching foliage, contrasting colours and the environmentally friendly techniques to which Heike is devoted. Project Installer: Terracraft Landscape Ltd. & Heike Designs.
Inspired by the native art intrinsic to the design of the house, this landscape is a vivacious natural paradise comprising flowing wavy lines that complement the native carvings featured on the house at its center. Meticulous coordination between contractors was necessary in the competition for space, time and equipment, and use of specialist machinery required to solve access problems at the rear of the property. Conservation of water, labour and plant material was achieved through recycling, strategic planting and use of native plants that thrive naturally in the area. Views have been considered from all angles, groundcover and grasses with unique shapes making for attractive birds eye views from the deck. Project Installer: Benbow Custom Homes (tel. 604-932-8794) & Heike Designs.
Hunter Landscape Design Ltd. 604-536-1146 or website
The owner’s existing features such as the wood deck, fence and plantings dated the unique house, doing no justice to the clients’ “artsy” nature and sense of style. Hunter Landscape Design created a covered outdoor sitting area for morning coffee and afternoon tea incorporating aspects like stained glass, a custom gate, split cedar fencing, distinctive paving and a round river boulder water feature. The small space was transformed from dated to inviting and tranquil.
The only request of this client was to make his backyard into “an awe inspiring, classy Disneyland…and…an outdoor private tropical retreat.” Hunter Landscape managed to create a seamless effect from patio to garden to pool to sitting area which was impressive to all including their own crew. A tropical paradise was indeed created and surrounds you throughout the entire yard thus achieving the private and intimate space requested. With the outdoor shower, jade and basalt boulders and planting selections, the homeowner may forget they have just stepped into their own backyard.
Pacifica Landscape Works Inc. (division of Pacifica Design Group) 604-538-5577 or website
A successful design theme was established to fuse the architectural style of the home with the existing topography and west coast design elements. A rapidly cascading waterfall maintains the eternal flow of water from the upper garden room to the lower entertaining area allowing for multiple viewing options. The source point of the waterfall was designed to recreate the look of a natural spring carved into the rock; then cascading down the edge of the hand carved stair case line with specimen basalt boulders, leading to the lower entertaining area. Both garden rooms’ great your feet with beautifully hand carved concrete surfaces. The upper patio acts as a service and viewing area, with the lower patio functioning more as an entertaining space for larger gatherings.
Para Space Landscaping Inc. 604-291-2800 or email
The main feature of this property besides the excellent location is the tranquil pond on the second floor garden. Para Space provides year round maintenance service to this site that includes all aspects of lawn care, pruning, garden bed work, and the general cleanup of the site. All plant health needs including the fertilizing of lawns and plants and the control of any pests are done with an Integrated Pest Managment approach.
These gardens have been designed with a formal English style in mind with many beautiful courtyards throughout the complex. Para Space provides year round maintenance service to this site that includes all aspects of lawn care; pruning, garden bed work, and the general clean up of the site. All plant health needs including the fertilization of lawns and plants and the control of any pests use an Integrated Pest Managment approach. They are also responsible for designing and installing the prominent flower displays at the entrance and clubhouse and provide annuals for the gardening committee to install in their parking lot.
Pure Landscapes Ltd. 604-861-7873 or email
This year-long design/build landscape was an exercise in construction detailing. The clients wanted a space built that extended the adjacent kitchen/dining room and made sense of an awkward existing landscape. At only 18’ x 15’, the challenge was one of scale and proportion. Pure Landscapes took their cue in materials from the interior finishes to seamlessly transition between indoor and outdoor. Hardwood finishes complement the furniture and trim details inside the home, and stone selections work closely with interior tiling.
This half-acre property on Southlands is a gardener’s dream. Designed by Paul Sangha Ltd, the south-facing slope sets lush perennial beds and hundred-year old brick against the beautifully restored home. This 8-month complete landscape renovation began in February 2007. In only its second year, this garden looks as though it has existed forever. The period site furnishings, antique brick, and full, healthy garden beds are masterfully combined to help make the garden look as though it has been here for generations.
RCB Garden Services & The Green Man Landscape Services 604-657-5170 / 778-840-0323
This classic house deserved a beautiful landscape, and had been left wanting. A brand new house in Kitsilano, built in the heritage style of the neighborhood, the yard had turned into a virtual swamp during the first winter the new owners spent there. The problem? Poor drainage… tons of construction debris buried under the hard clay from the basement excavation. We removed the debris and a leaking pond, improved the soil, and created pathways and perennial gardens that wind through this standard city corner lot – transforming it into an urban oasis.
SoundGarden Landscape & Design Ltd. 604-905-3478 or website
Located in the Pemberton flood plain, we created the illusion that the house is not sitting on eight feet of preload and in order to do this we dug a large earth pond in the back and used this dirt to design a gradual slope on the entire property. An eight foot waterfall feature was designed to transition between the salt water pool to the earth pond below, where the water travels under a bridge and through the natural vegetation that is continuously forming. A vegetable garden, large eight man firepit, hot tub area and bridge taking you to the heli-pad and caretaker’s quarters are other features of this property.
Westbank Nursery Ltd. (dba Dogwood Landscaping) 250-768-3355 or website
Accented by the breathtaking views of the vineyards, the mountains and Okanagan Lake, Quail’s Gate Estate Winery is by far one of the most photographed view points of the Westside of Kelowna. It is only fitting that the landscaping be spectacular! Dogwood Landscaping installed fresh organic herb gardens for the winery’s world class restaurant, three water features for guided tours through the gardens, and paving stone walkways with wheelchair accessibility.
